Down as many as 16 points in the first half, Kansas stormed back to beat North Carolina 72-69 in a thrilling NCAA Tournament national championship game Monday night from New Orleans for the program's fourth national title and first since 2008. The 16-point deficit was the largest ever overcome to win a championship, surpassing the previous record of 15 points set by Loyola Chicago against Cincinnati in 1963. Can Kansas repeat in 2023? Caesars Sportsbook oddsmakers have installed Coac h Bill Self's club as the +1000 favorite.
Entering this season, Kansas had come back from 15 down at half to win a game just twice in school history. In January, they did it to beat Kansas State and the Monday to the Tar Heels. UNC had been 46-0 in the NCAA Tournament all-time when leading by double digits at the half, the longest streak by any team in Big Dance history.
Kansas is Kansas so of course it will be one of the best teams in the country next season, but there needs to be a huge asterisk with those favored title odds.
For one, Self is expected to lose a lot of talent in the likes of Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, Christian Braun, Mitch Lightfoot and Remy Martin. Agbaji was his conference's Player of the Year (Big 12), conference tournament Most Outstanding Player and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. The last player to win all three in a season was Duke's Shane Battier in 2001.